Ready or Not
by keep-me-posted
Summary: It's always fun playing Hide and Seek - that is, unless Buzz and Jessie are playing, too.  TS OneShot.


**A/N**: I've had this story idea for a while; it just took me forever to go and finally type it out, lol. As usual, it sounded better in my head. I wish the ending had come out better than it did, but oh well. Anyways, thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Toy Story or any of its characters.

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"Buzz!"

The space toy snapped out of his trance and looked around him, still slightly in a daze. Every toy was formed in a circle on Bonnie's bedroom floor. They all had their hands raised for some reason – including Jessie, the entire reason he had drifted off to dreamland in the first place.

"Buzz!" Woody called for a second time, rapping on his helmet.

"Huh?" Buzz shook his head twice and quickly extracted his helmet. Woody put his hand down. The rest of the toys followed suite.

"Glad to see you've awaken from hyper sleep, space ranger."

The group laughed.

He frowned. "I've _been_ awake."

"Oh, so you know what we're doing just now, then?"

"Sure," Buzz lied. "We were...voting...on something?"

Woody rolled his eyes. Jessie, standing right beside them, held in a giggle. "We were deciding who has to be 'it' for Hide and-"

"Seek," Buzz finished. "Right, of course."

The cowboy sighed. "Would you like us to try again?"

He coughed. "I-If you insist."

"Okay, guys," Woody started, slightly annoyed. "One...two...three!"

Every toy's hand went up. All except for one.

"Buzz!"

The spaceman cut his eyes away from Jessie and glanced over at his best friend. "What? What?"

Woody shook his head, lowering his hand once again. "You're it. That's what."

"Oh." Buzz glanced down at his hand, resting at his side. "Yes, fair enough." He managed one more look at the cowgirl standing at his right, before shaking his head and looking out to the crowd. "Alright, everyone, let's get started."

Overjoyed that the game was _finally_ starting, the toys ran off to find a hiding spot. Buzz didn't move, but instead let his eyes wander, watching Jessie as she headed off to find a hiding place.

"Eyes closed, Buzz!" Woody ordered from across the room.

"Affirmative!" He called back, snapping his eyes shut. The space ranger counted to fifty, giving the toys more than enough time to hide and re-opened his eyes. "Ready or not, here I come!"

Buzz walked over to where he assumed Jessie was hiding. It wasn't that he cheated – he _did_ have his eyes closed, but his ears remained open and followed the cowgirl's clanking boots the entire time he counted.

He passed one other toy on his search for her. He assumed it was one of the potatoheads and carried on. Then, just when he was about to give up and look for someone else, Buzz noticed Jessie, hiding behind one of the metal legs on Bonnie's chair, in a dark corner of the room.

Being as sneaky as a plastic toy could, Buzz quietly stepped over to Jessie's right and whispered in her ear, "Found you."

The cowgirl jumped and turned towards him. "Great mother of Abraham, Buzz! You scared me!"

"Sorry," He spoke through a grin.

Keeping a hand at her chest while trying to regulate her breathing, she glanced over Buzz's shoulder. "Who else did ya find?"

He frowned. "Just you."

"I was the first one found?" She looked disappointed. "Darn, I thought I had me a really good hiding place this time."

"But it was good," He tried.

"Not if ya found me first, it wasn't."

"Well, I-I just can't fathom the idea of losing you," Buzz explained, hurriedly. "Therefore, you're always the first one I look for."

Jessie smiled, thankful that the darkness around them hid her blushing face. "Well, we better go find the others." She grabbed his arm.

"Not yet," He said, pulling away.

She placed a hand on her hip. "Buzz, you know that's not how it works. You don't need us to explain the rules again, do ya?"

She tried to grab for his arm again, but this time, Buzz twisted around so he was suddenly pinning Jessie against a cardboard box. She blinked, trying to process just what exactly happened.

"Buzz, what are you-"

"We'll find the others, I promise," He interrupted. "I just want to spend a little time with you, first. This is my first time seeing you in a while."

Jessie struggled in place. Having spent ten years with his constant stuttering, she barely had time to get used to _this_ particular side to him - so it often caught her by surprise. "Buzz, you see me all the time."

"Well, this is our first time together in a while, then."

"We're together all the time!"

"But not alone," He said, leaning closer. "Like we are now."

The cowgirl's breath caught in her throat. "We've..been alone."

"Not really." He pulled back. "There's always someone else around - Woody, Bullseye, the peas in the pod.."

Jessie smirked. "Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

This time it was Buzz's turn to blush.

"Someone wants me all to themselves."

"Not..exactly," He tried.

"What about Bonnie?" She asked. "Are you jealous when _she_ spends time with me?"

"I could never be jealous of Bonnie."

"No, of course not," Jessie sniffed. "Just your best friend, a stuffed horse and three peas in a green zippered pouch."

"All I'm saying is," Buzz began, picking up from where they left off. "Maybe I deserve some time alone with my favorite cowgirl – especially after saving you in that garbage truck."

"Whoa, don't get too cocky there, space ranger," Jessie said. "You have your Spanish mode to thank for that."

"Which is a part of me," He pointed out.

"Yeah," Jessie smirked. "And the other part of you tackled me to the ground and locked me in a cage for two nights."

He knew she was kidding, of course. Jessie would never bring that without the intention of it being anything but a playful joke.

"Well," Buzz continued. "It was _all_ me that held your hand the entire time at the..dump."

The cowgirl considered this for a moment, then grinned. "Okay, I admit _that _was pretty sweet."

"Even for a space toy?"

"_Especially_ a space toy."

He smiled back and shyly leaned forward, pressing his lips lightly against her's.

Woody cleared his throat, causing the two toys to break apart.

"Hey, Woody!" The space toy said suddenly. "W-What's going on?"

"Hide and Seek?"

"Oh, right."

"I told you it ain't ever fun when _they_ play," Slinky complained. Buttercup nodded in agreement.

"Honestly, Buzz," Woody sighed. "Out of all things, I wouldn't think I would have to teach a _toy_ the rules of _Hide and Seek_."

"Yeah," Mr. Potatohead spoke up. "We've been hiding for over 10 minutes and the only thing _you_ seem to have found is the inside of Jessie's mouth!"

The cowgirl shifted slightly, her cheeks burning.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Buzz apologized. "Allow me to start again." He closed his eyes. "One..two..thr-"

"No, no!" The cowboy said, shaking his hands in front of him. "Just, uh..consider you and Jessie banned from Hide and Seek for the rest of the day."

"But Woody-"

"It's fine, space ranger," He said, through a small smile. "Go ahead and spend time with your 'favorite cowgirl'." He winked, then turned towards the other toys. "Come on, guys! Let's go play over here."

As soon as everyone left, Buzz let out a breath he'd been unknowingly holding. "Alright, so where were we?" He turned. "Jessie?"

The cowgirl's giggle echoed around him.

"Jessie, where are you?"

"Hiding," She called.

"Jess, were not supposed to play that game anymore."

"Well then, I reckon you outta find me before Woody finds out!"

The edge in her voice had the slightest bit of challenge to it, and if there was one thing Buzz Lightyear couldn't resist, it was a challenge. "Alright, ready or not – to infinity and beyond!"

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**A/N**: Comments are love.


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